


dance, little sister

by madfatty



Category: My Mad Fat Diary
Genre: Birthday, Cake, Gen, Original Character(s), Sisters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-22
Updated: 2018-08-22
Packaged: 2019-06-30 12:05:44
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 648
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15751335
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/madfatty/pseuds/madfatty
Summary: Bethany Gemmel left home on the morning of her eighteenth birthday.





	dance, little sister

**Author's Note:**

> Chloe has a sister. I had an idea. Originally posted to tumblr 19/06/18

The grass is cool and damp under her bare feet and it’s still early enough for there to be birdsong. 

She hadn’t really been asleep when Bethany’s best friend Hannah had pulled up outside the house and she was already putting on her dressing gown and reaching for the small elaborately wrapped package from her bedside table drawer when her sister’s bedroom door flew open and Bethany hurtled like a maniac down the stairs to let Hannah in. The door to their parent’s room stayed firmly shut.

Bethany’s not taking much with her to Scotland (she’d taken all her posters but left the globs of blue-tak up because she knows it will really piss her mum off) so there are only a couple of trips from her room to the car and the whole while Chloe stands behind her own bedroom door trying to summon up the courage to open it, knowing that time is running out. Not for one minute had Chloe ever truly thought that Bethany would make good on her promise that on her eighteenth birthday she would leave them all for good.  


Chloe finally makes a move downstairs when the house falls quiet.

The last of the boxes are secured into the backseat of the car and Hannah is fussing with something on the front seat. Chloe takes the opportunity to hand over the now crumpled package to Bethany and murmurs ‘Happy Birthday’. Her sister’s sweet, round face lights up as she tears into the brightly coloured paper.

Chloe’s glad now that she chose the big bold riotous ostentation of the feathery earrings she’d seen on the hippy market stall instead of the simple silver hoops her mother had suggested. They’re perfect. Cheap and cheerful they may be, but the smile on Bethany’s face is priceless. 

Hannah trudges back across the lawn carrying a baker’s box, a plastic carrier bag and a balloon on a string. She hands the box over to Chloe so she can tie the balloon around Bethany’s wrist like a corsage. She then dips into the carrier bag and pulls out a little plastic tiara. Bethany accepts the crown like she’s just won Miss World. She pushes back her long hair dramatically so Hannah can admire her birthday present and Hannah coos appreciatively. She reclaims the baker’s box and opens it before placing on the ground. Chloe can’t help but be impressed that Hannah has thought of everything as she reaches back into the carrier bag again and extracts a candle, a book of matches some paper hats and a disposable camera.

The three of them sit in a cross-legged circle around the cake and belt out an exuberant rendition of “Happy Birthday”. Chloe roars out the ‘hoorays’. They feast on great handfuls of chocolate cake torn from the box until it is almost all gone and take a whole roll of pictures of their messy smiling faces and Bethany promises to send Chloe copies. 

Before Chloe’s ready for it to be over, Bethany stands, wrapping her sister in a tight bear hug and says she’ll hear from her soon. Her kisses taste like chocolate and her hands are sticky on Chloe’s face and she shakes her head only once when Chloe says, ‘stay’. It’s Chloe’s turn to shake her head when Bethany looks up at the twitching bedroom curtains and extends both middle fingers.

Chloe watches Hannah’s car bunny-hop away, the raucous laughter of its occupants disrupting the peace of the quiet suburban street and it’s only when it’s long out of sight that she turns back to their driveway and contemplates the house. She can’t help but notice that the curtains are open now. With deliberate intent she swipes up the remains of the chocolate smear on her face and licks her fingers clean with relish as she enters the house. She shuts the door quietly behind her.


End file.
